Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to cameras, and, more specifically, to mirror tilt actuation in cameras.
Description of the Related Art
Miniature cameras are typically used in mobile devices such as cellphones and other multifunction devices. In such devices, space is a premium and every effort is made to minimize the camera size. A zoom lens is a lens where the lens elements can be moved relative to one another to change the focal length of the lens. In doing so, this changes the field of view of the lens. In addition, such a lens is most typically required to adjust focus for different object distances. Many different configurations of zoom lens are possible. However, for a typical optical zoom lens, there are at least two lens groups that move independently of each other along the optical axis relative to the image sensor, but in a relational manner to each other. There are additionally typically further lens groups that remain stationary relative to the image sensor.
In multifunction devices, the image captured by the image capture device or camera is frequently of lower quality due to the shaking of the user's hand. Optical image stabilization (OIS) has been attempted to compensate for this phenomenon. OIS adjusts the direction of the field of view of the camera to compensate for user motion. There have been various schemes proposed for miniature cameras, including: ‘lens barrel shift,’ in which the complete lens is moved in directions orthogonal to the optical axis relative to the image sensor; and ‘camera tilt,’ in which the lens and image sensor are together tilted relative to a support structure. For cameras and image capture devices in multifunction devices, neither method is practical.